The Brinell scale characterizes the indentation hardness of materials through a scale of penetration of an indenter, loaded on a material test-piece. According to the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) E10 Standard, the Brinell test requires the application to an indenter of 10 mm in diameter of a determined test force (load), usually 500 Kgf for Aluminum and 3000 Kgf for Steel for a specified amount of time, with a minimum of 10 seconds and a maximum of 30 seconds.
Current portable Brinell Testers as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0230529, published Aug. 21, 2014, which is based on its predecessor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,582, employs a hydraulic cylinder activated by a hand pump with a release valve when a certain pressure therefore a certain resulting load is achieved. The problem with this approach is that the load is only applied instantaneously and it does not remain applied for the specified time; therefore, the test does not meet the ASTM E10 specification but an ad-hoc specification, E110 created just for this instrument. Some users can test according to this specification but the majority must meet the full E10 specification.
Thus, there is not found in the prior art a portable Brinell testing apparatus that meets the ASTM E10 standard.